The Boy Who Kindof Lived
by uo-chou
Summary: Baby Harry's dead?" asked Minerva in horror. "Well, somewhat," replied Albus, "but not all the way." McGonagall stared at him in confusion. Chapter I: The Case of the Decapitated Baby. Read it, you know you want to. Somewhat Undead!Harry No pairings
1. Chapter 1

The Boy Who Kind-of Lived

Chapter I: The Case of the Decapitated Baby

Harry Potter was a happy baby. He lived in a nice home with his Mother Lily and his Father James. He was occasionally visited by his three uncles, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all of whom he loved nearly as much as his mother and father. When Harry was a little over a year old, something would happen that would change his life forever.

Harry, despite being only a bit over a year old, knew something was not quite right with the world. His parents were always taking him along to strange meetings filled with many odd wizard passing hushed whispers among themselves. Many times at night, either James or Lily would leave and return hours later, exhausted and sometimes injured. His undeveloped brain could not understand exactly what was going on, but he knew somehow that it was something bad.

Steadily, things began to get worse. His beloved uncles stopped coming around to visit as often, and the meetings got scarcer until the Potters stopped attending them entirely. In fact, the Potters stopped leaving their cottage in Godric's Hollow at all. His father would sometimes stay awake all night, pacing in the entranceway, and his mother would sometimes burst into tears for no reason at all, prompting the once ever-happy toddler to do the same. A grey pallor settled over the Potter home.

It wasn't to last for long. One night, under cover of darkness, a single wizard slipped through the powerful charm protecting the young family as if it was nothing, and approached the entrance to the home. The man paused at the door, and with a single flick of the wand in his hand, blasted it off of the hinges. As was his wont, James Potter was pacing in the entranceway of the little house, and was killed instantly by the corner of the door smashing into his skull at roughly half the speed of sound. Voldemort, the evil wizard who had just destroyed the door, smiled as he walked inside and noticed what he had inadvertently done.

'Lucky!' he thought, as his dark eyes swept the surroundings for any threats. Finding none on the first floor, he began ascending the stairs, where he was sure he would find the person he had come to kill.

In her son's room, Lily Potter was cradling her young son when she heard a loud crashing sound come from downstairs. She looked upward and closed her eyes as she cradled young Harry to her chest. A small tear rolled down her cheek.

"The time has come, Harry," said Lily, smiling down at her sleeping child. She set Harry in his crib, and began chanting softly in a tongue you or I will never know, as she made intricate movements with her wand. A glow began to suffuse the young mother, making her many times brighter then the few candles illuminating the room. She spoke a final word, and the glow gathered at the tip of her wand before launching itself at her sleeping son, and almost instantly being absorbed into his skin until there was nothing left of the mysterious energy. Harry smiled in his sleep as he felt a sudden loving warmth wash over him, and then fade, but never entirely disappear. Lily smiled sadly as she felt a great emptiness take root within her. She turned to face the doorway to the bedroom, wand held before her. She knew she only had moments to live, and now, had nothing left to live for. A hard expression, tempered by compassion settled across her face. She had fulfilled her purpose in this life.

Expectedly, the door to the room opened. Standing in the doorway was Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort.

"Lily Potter nee Evans," spoke the man with dark eyes, "a pleasure to meet you again. Especially under the current circumstance." An almost triumphant smirk adorned his face.

Lily stood firmly in front of her resting son, silent. She glared into the man's eyes with all of the hatred her empty body could muster. "Voldemort," she spat, "I know why you're here, and I will never let you harm my son. Never."

The man in the black robe scoffed. "You don't have much of a choice, mudblood. The only choice I will give you tonight is if you would like to keep your filthy life or to die like so many others. If you step aside now, I will spare your life and take only what I came for." Voldemort's lip twitched as if it wanted to smile, as he mentally chuckled over the horrendous choice he had offered the woman. Knowing the character of the mudblood bitch, she would never allow harm to come to her child while she lived. It was the only reason he had indulged the little request of Severus's.

Lily growled. "Never! You fucking _monster_! "She attempted to cast a _reducto_ curse at the man in front of her, but instead felt something deep within her snap, and instead fell to the floor. Her eyes rolled up into her head as she died. He last thought was hardly a though at all, but a silent plea to whatever gods existed that her child would live.

Voldemort jumped back a step as Lily collapsed onto the floor, shocked. He composed himself, and silently wondered if the woman had had a stroke or heart attack. 'Perhaps a brain aneurism,' he mused. Shaking his head, he mentally congratulated himself on his good luck tonight. The only two people who might have been a danger to his plans had died, and he hadn't had to even cast a single spell against either of them. Lightly chuckling at the circumstances he swore to tell his inner circle all about it over cocoa after he killed the baby. They would have all share a nice laugh.

Stepping around the corpse of the red haired mudblood, Voldemort walked to the edge of the crib and peered down at the sleeping child within. He had a light smile on his face as he dozed, and appeared to be a completely normal baby. Voldemort once again mentally questioned the prophecy. Truly, he didn't know whether it was true or not, he hadn't taken divination and had in fact never really studied the subject at all. 'Any threat to my power, though,' he thought, 'must be dealt with.' Obviously that fool Albus Dumbledore had put stock in the prophecy to have placed the Potters under the _Fidelus_, so Voldemort would treat the prophecy as real until proven otherwise.

Grimly, Voldemort looked down upon the infant. He had never killed a baby before, but he imagined it would be pretty much the same as killing anyone else. He took a step back, and aimed the wand at the infant's head, and had nearly cast the killing curse when he had a thought. He lowered his wand for a moment, and decided that he wanted to send a message with the infant's death, the kind of message that a lifeless but mostly intact corpse would fail to convey. He thought for a moment more, then raised his wand, smirking. He first cast a spell on little Harry that did absolutely no harm at all. In fact, it didn't even disturb the infant from his slumber. The next spell he cast, however, did cause the baby to awaken. As the cutting curse impacted the infant's neck, his eyes shot open, and green orbs stared up at the Dark Lord as his head was severed from his body. There was no blood. In less than a second after the cutting curse impacted, a silent killing curse erupted from Voldemort's wand, striking the infant in the forehead.

Several things happened almost simultaneously. The cutting curse cleaved Harry's head from his tiny body, followed by the killing curse impacting his forehead. The curse instantly carved a red skull shaped trench into the skin directly above Harry's right eye. The skull shaped scar a deep crimson color nearly as soon as it was created, and then blasted the majority of the green killing energy back at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord had no time to even begin to understand what had happened, as the modified killing curse struck him dead. He collapsed to the floor as the soul occupying his body was extinguished, and a hole the size of a Jack Russell Terrier was punched through his chest. The curse traveled through Voldemort and destroyed the wall behind him in a shower of wood, paint chips and insulation. The curse continued to travel into the sky, boring a hole through the clouds in the overcast sky, and punching a relatively tiny hole in the ozone layer.

Several witches and wizards across the country of Great Brittan felt the powerful explosion of magic, most of whom were completely bewildered by it. One wizard was not. Albus Dumbledore sat up in his bed, awakened from his sleep by the inordinately powerful spell. He knew intuitively that something had happened to the Potters.

"Fawkes!" he cried. A ball of fire erupted scant inches from the wizard's face, dissipating suddenly to reveal a beautiful red and gold bird. Mentally relaying his command to his familiar, Albus Dumbledore grabbed the Phoenix's tail and as suddenly as it came, the bird was gone taking his master with him.

Dumbledore surveyed the damage to the house from the front garden. An entire side of the top floor was blasted away, exposing the interior of what he knew to be the nursery. A feeling of dread overcame him as he began to fear for young Harry. He knew that there was no chance the other two Potters had survived, not if Voldemort or his forces had made it to the baby's room. Grimly noting the lack of a front door, Dumbledore stepped into the home.

He spotted the corpse of James Potter under the door he was standing on, and stepped off of it quickly in embarrassment.

"James," the old wizard said, pain visible in his expressive blue eyes, "My boy, I'm so sorry." He reached down to close James's eyes, but they stubbornly opened again as soon as he removed his hand. Frowning, the most powerful wizard in Brittan reached down again and pulled the corpse's eyelids shut. They opened back up. Growling, Albus pointed the Elder Wand at his onetime pupil's head and silently cast a spell that glued his eyes shut. Coughing slightly, Albus stood up and climbed the stairs, sure that Lily's last stand would be the nursery.

Looking into the room, the first thing Albus saw was a black cloaked figure on the ground a few feet from the crib. As quickly as he spotted it, he had cast a powerful stunner on the body. Too many times had an Auror or a member of the Order been killed due to a death eater playing possum to take any risk. His safety assured for the moment, the Headmaster of Hogwarts stepped into the baby's room . As the body came into view a tremor went up Albus's spine, nearly causing him to fall to his knees. The body was that of _Tom Riddle_! He almost shouted in excitement, as he noted the enormous hole in the dead wizard's torso. There was no way to survive a wound like that, even with magic. Albus would have gladly examined the corpse for days to learn it's secrets and to confirm some theories about the man who had risen from a talented yet normal student to a Dark Lord, but his business was not finished.

Albus Dumbledore stood up and approached the Potter child's crib, dreading what he would find. Looking down, his worst fears were confirmed. There lay Harry Potter, his little head severed from his neck, bother pieces of the infant lying still. Albus's closed his eyes as he was overcome with grief. The Headmaster of one of the most prestigious schools of magic in the world broke down in tears at the loss of such an innocent life. Great honking sobs belched from his ancient throat, until he felt he could cry no more. Besides, the giggling was killing the somber mood. Whoever was doing that was being very disrespectful.

'Wait, what?' thought Albus, looking up. His old tired body flew around in a full circle as he tried to discern where the jubilant sound came from. He spotted nothing, and yet the sound continued. He once more peeked down into the crib, at the baby he had first assumed was dead. Little Harry's bright green eyes were wide open this time, and as Albus watched stunned, the boy's disconnected body reached up and began to play with the end of his beard as the head, laying about a foot away from the child's neck, again produced a tinkling laugh.

"What in the fuck?" asked Albus Dumbledore in confusion.

XoXoXoXoX

Chapter II: The Inexplicable Half Inferi Infant

Preview: "Well, when he's ready for school we can be sure that the boy will be_ the head_ of his class!" barked Sirius as he collapsed to the floor, tears and hysterical laughter overtaking him.


	2. Chapter 2

The Boy Who Kind-of Lived

Chapter II: The Inexplicable Half Inferi Infant

Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black stood together in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster was seated in his plush armchair behind the great oaken desk, a somber look in his eyes. Remus and Minerva were seated on the other side of the desk, and Sirius was currently pacing back and forth in from the door to Dumbledore's office. All of them were silent, until Sirius spoke up.

"What is taking that infernal medi-witch so long! She'd had time to examine a dozen children by now--It's been over three hours!" His dark eyes shown with anger and sadness, fueled by the desire to know the status of his Godson's health. All he had been told by the leader of the Order of the Phoenix was that Harry was alive, but somehow cursed. Despite his earlier pleas, the old man had refused to provide any further details to the grieving marauder.

Remus stood up and approached his friend and former classmate. "Try to relax, old friend. We've both lost so much tonight, and I know how you feel. But acting like this isn't helping anyone, least of all Harry." Remus grimaced as Black visible deflated before his eyes, sitting hard into the chair formally occupied by the werewolf.

"I know, I know," said the begrieved pureblood. "But he's all that's left. James... Lily..." His eyes shined with unshed tears. Remus nodded, a lump in his throat. James had been the leader of their group, the soul of the Marauders. And they had all been at least a little in love with Lily. When Harry was born, they all felt a little like parents, even Peter. Sirius was chosen as the boy's Godfather because he alone of the other Marauders had the means to support a child in the event of James and Lily's death, but it was understood that the entire group would stand in loco parentus in the tragic event of the Potter parents' deaths. An event that had all too suddenly occurred. Sirius was resolute, he would embrace the responsibility that his best friend placed in him, and he was more than galled by the lack of information about his new charge's condition.

Albus's slightly bowed head lifted and turned to face the door. "Come up, Poppy," he said. The medi-witch made her way up the stairs and opened the door. Her face was stoic, and held no clue about her prognosis. Her arms contained a sleeping bundle, in which lay Harry Potter. Sirius jumped up to receive his Godson.

"Careful with him," she said, facing Sirius. "He's a bit fragile right now." She handed over the child, watching a Sirius sat back down, expertly holding the year old child.

Dumbledore quickly conjured another chair for the medi-witch, and gestured at her to sit. She moved the chair slightly back, and turned to address the group. "He's been hit with three curses, as best I can tell. Albus recovered His wand, so we know what they are. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse them." She hastily elaborated, seeing the panicked look in three sets of eyes. "He's stable," she quickly said, "His condition is permanent, but it probably won't change much, if any. I would say he has a decent chance of living a healthy life." Left out was the word normal.

Sirius was at first anxious, then bewildered, and now was hovering on the edge of angry at the roundabout diagnosis. "What is his condition, exactly?" asked the Black scion, in a quiet and deliberate way. "What spells were cast on him?" He looked down at the sleeping baby, staring into the red skull etched into the boy's forehead.

Poppy hesitated, then turned her head to catch Dumbledore's eye. The Headmaster answered her nonverbal question with a slight nod. "He was hit with three spells, in rapid succession. The first, as far as we can tell, was a modified inferus-"

"WHAT?!" roared Remus, jumping to his feet. He face was a mask of shock and rage, with an edge of insanity threatening to burst through. The werewolf's thoughts raced a mile a second, as he contemplated the potential loss of the third Potter. If the child was an Inferi... Beside him, Sirius shook, holding the baby tighter to his chest. It was as if he did not hear Poppy at all.

"There will be silence." stated Albus Dumbledore. His voice was quiet, but there was power in his words. Remus's mouth closed, and he suddenly sat down. He quietly began to sob. The child in Sirius's arms seemed undisturbed by Remus's outburst. Albus spoke again, "Poppy, if you please?"

"As I was saying," she continued, "He was hit by a modified Inferus curse. As near as Albus and I can tell, it was designed to prepare bodies to be made into Inferi after their death, but it appears not to have worked properly. Harry is very much alive, his mind, magic, and life-force are all intact. In fact, his magic readings are off the scale for a one year old--he has the magical power of a teenager easily. I imagine he will be an incredibly powerful Wizard some day." Remus looked up, his panic beginning to fade. Sirius's blank expression began to fade.

"The other two curses, Poppy. If he's not an Inferi, what's happened to him?" asked Sirius softly.

Poppy frowned. "The other two curses were a dark severing charm of unknown design, and Avada Kedavra, the killing curse." McGonagall looked at Poppy in abject confusion at this. No one survived the killing curse.

"Baby Harry is dead?" asked McGonagall in confusion, looking at the baby sleeping in Sirius's arms. His regular breathing was quite evident from the rising and falling of the blanket swaddling his small body. She looked back and forth between Poppy and Albus, desperate for an answer.

"Well, somewhat," replied Albus, "But not all the way." McGonagall stared at him in confusion. Remus and Sirius seemed beyond shock, both waiting for elaboration. "He was hit by the modified Inferus curse, which prepared his body to become undead. Something, we do not know what, was protecting him from life threatening injury. We think it was something Lily came up with. When I inspected her body, the signs were consistent with incredible magical exhaustion. I would imagine she would have died that night whether Riddle killed her or not. She sacrificed herself for Harry." He paused to allow the others in the room to absorb this information. "Harry's head was then severed from his body by Voldemort's dark cutting curse. Because it was a dark curse, there was no chance of knitting the flesh connecting his neck and head back together, unfortunately. The last curse cast, the Killing curse, struck Harry, giving him that scar, as near as we can tell. We think it rebounded from his forehead, killing Voldemort." He looked down at his desk briefly, then raised his head. "If I knew what ritual Lily had performed, I could tell you more. However, her the core of her wand was destroyed, doing whatever it was she did, so there is no way to determine the spells she cast. Thankfully, Harry is alive."

Silence reigned for a brief time, before Sirius once again spoke. "His head... Harry's head was severed? How is he alive and whole?" He looked to the medi-witch for an explanation.

Poppy cleared her throat. "He's alive, but not whole. His head is only attached to his neck by a temporary sticking charm. I've run tests, and there seems to be a permanent magical connection between his head and body, allowing the passage of food and air. Both wounds have sealed over with cursed scar tissue, which is why the charm is temporary. No permanent enchantments can be placed on curse scar residue, as you all probably know. In fact, the more time that passes, the less effective sticking charms will become. Another solution will have to be found before they lose their effect all together." Remus was looking at her as if he could hardly comprehend what she was saying, and Sirius had unwrapped his Godson's neck, and was examining the thin line he saw there. It looked like a scar spanning the entire circumference of Harry's neck, just below his chin. 'He looks so normal,' thought Sirius. He quietly began to shake.

Remus, seeing his friend's distress, quietly took the child from the grim Animagus. Sirius once again stood, his lips twitching up and down, alternating between a wan smile and a severe frown. His sophisticated pureblood features quivered un-naturally. "Well, when he's ready for school we can be sure that the boy will be the head of his class!" barked Sirius as he collapsed to the floor, tears and hysterical laughter overtaking him. The bout lasted only minutes, and the others let his outburst run it's course, though Poppy's hand was on her wand. After a few moments, Minerva helped her former student from the floor.

Dumbledore sighed. The outcome was tragic, but it was better than the boy dying. He thought that in time the boy's Godfather would make peace with his headless charge.

A long silence spread throughout the room while it's occupants came to terms with the startling news and events of this night. Finally after long moments, Sirius stood up, and motioned for his best remaining friend to hand over the child he was still holding. By now Harry had awoken, but ever a quiet and well mannered child, he had not spoken a word. As Sirius stared into his eyes, he saw the young boy smile. "Pa'foot." said Harry clearly.

Sirius found himself grinning down at the toddler. "Yes, Harry." said Black, "It's Padfoot. Lets go home and get you to bed." He looked up at Remus. "My friend. Will you help me raise our Godson?" he asked. Remus smiled, then nodded.

Dumbledore smiled a sad smile. While the rest of the Wizarding World was celebrating the death of the worst Dark Lord in recent memory, these few were still learning the extent of their loss. However, it appeared that something positive, however small, had come about.

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Author's Note:

This chapter was a little more Sirius, pardon the pun. Really, this story will be a comedy, but I saw little way to add a dash of pizzazz to a chapter consisting of an old man and a doctor telling two men that their dead friends' son is part zombie. Anyway, the next chapter will be along, some time. I don't know when, I don't write on a schedule or anything, just when the mood strikes. I promise the next chapter will be a lot more fun. I think I'll do a montage of funny moments during Harry's childhood leading up to his Hogwarts letter, and maybe the train ride, though I can't promise because my creative process is so chaotic.

Oh yeah, Check out my Naruto story "Rise of the ScienceNin, if you like Naruto. It's going to be pretty good, I hope.

Chapter III: The Ledged of QuaffleHead


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